I'm a 0L and wanted to find out about 1 and 2 L summer associate/clerkships. Do they generally run the entire summer, or do you get a couple of weeks off after school ends/before school begins again?

Varies greatly depending on the program. Most run 8-10 weeks. Between the law review competition and EIP, I get a grand 3 days of summer vacation between the end of finals and the start of school, but most people get a week on one end or the other.

1L summer is tough due to journal write-on competitions (at the beginning of the summer at most schools) and OCI interviews (at the end of the summer). You generally only end up with a week or so with no obligations at all.

2L summer, most people get a month or so free.

thanks guys

Are you in Texas or the South? 2L summer clerkships tend to be split there. So you'd do 6 weeks at one firm and 6 weeks at another.

Bigger programs also grant multiple start dates even for 2L SAs. My firm had three options. If you have those options you can either: (1) give yourself "breathing room" once finals are over; or (2) jump right in, finish earlier in the summer, and take your long break right before Fall semester.

I think summer lasts a little over 14 weeks at UT. Like previously stated, I think most firms outside of Texas allow between 8-10 weeks. In Texas, split summers are still done, which usually require a minimum of 6 and 6 at each firm. (Texas firms may be moving away from split summers though.)

Usually you'll have some flexibility on start and end dates.